“Four Things To Remember”
(Jude: 17-23)
I. Introduction.
A. Are you the type of person whom birthdays bother? Are
you one who dreads the thought of another year having
passed, or of “youth” slipping inevitably away? For some,
birthdays are not “milestones,” but “millstones”; not
occasions for celebration, but times of depression and
anxiety.
B. Birthdays mark the progression of time, like other
significant events in life.
C. The Bible has a good deal to say about both young people
and older people, about youth and aging.
1. The next generation in the church is every bit as
important as those who have matured and who lead
now. We look to children, adolescents, and young
adults as leaders of the future.
2. But, young people have a role to play now as well
and, if they are to be tomorrow’s leaders, they need
to be taught and trained and prepared, now.
(Positive aspects of “Lads To Leaders...” Ministry).
3. If we were to read every verse in the Bible
mentioning children or young men and women, it
would take us a considerable time. God stressed
youth and importance of that time in life. Probably,
among most familiar passages is I Timothy 4:12:
“Let no one despise [look down on you because of]
your youth, but be an example to the believers in
word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in
purity.” Here are challenges and commands for a
young man that apply to all of us, young or older.
D. That’s what I’d like to do with this lesson. Challenge,
and discuss God’s commands, for young people, but apply
them to all of us. Can highlight just a few points: “Four
Things To Remember.”
II. Remember. . . . .
A. Number one: We need to remember God – our Creator –
early in our lives.
1. First, know, and believe, there is a God. He did
make everything and He is in control of everything.
2. Best time to start thinking about these things is
early in life. That’s the time to make a place for
God in our lives: (Ecclesiastes 12:1: “Remember
now your Creator in the days of your youth, before
the evil days come and the years draw near, when
you say, I have no pleasure in them.”)
3. For those who have passed “the days of . . . .
youth,” time to remember God is now. Cannot do
anything about past, personally. Can only ask
God’s forgiveness for neglecting Him in our lives,
and go on from this present point.
4. The irony is that, at younger age, the attention we
pay to spiritual matters often works against
remembering God.
a. The truth of Ecclesiastes 12:1 is borne out
statistically. Majority of people who
become Christians do so before they reach
age 25.
b. That doesn’t mean older people cannot, or
will not, obey the Gospel. But, it does mean
chances are greater that one who neglects
relationship with God as a younger person,
whose life and lifestyle is more worldly than
godly, will not obey Gospel as years go by.
c. Drop-off is very sharp after 25. After that
age, 1 in 10,000 obey Gospel; after 35, 1 in
50,000; after 45, 1 in 200,000.
5. Becoming set in our lifestyle, and the pressures of
opinions of family and friends work against
obedience as we grow older. More pressure on us
not to obey God and to serve Him than to do these
things.
6. It may be true that everyone goes through some
type of “crisis of faith” (when doubts and unbelief
assail us) at some point in our lives. Often happens
when we leave home, or get out more on our own,
for first time – college-career aged person. Then we
must: “Remember . . . [our] Creator.”
B. Some of our doubts, some of our rejection of God and His
desires for us and our lives come because we don’t
remember a second thing: we don’t remember our sources
of power – Christ and God’s word.
1. The Word of God is “ . . .the word of life; . . .”
(Philippians 2:16).
2. It is not other people speaking to us, but God
speaking to us. (I Thessalonians 2:13).
3. Knowledge of it is our surest weapon against Satan
and all the lies he generates (Ephesians 6:17: “the
sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.”).
4. Our strength against Satan is not in ourselves – it is
in message of God’s word: “. . .the gospel of
Christ . . . is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth; . . .” (Romans 1:16).
5. When we obey God, and then live for Christ, we are
able to draw spiritual power – remember that.
C. Number 3: Remember to be grateful to those who help us
in life.
1. Are two (2) powerful words: words people
sometimes surprised to hear: “thank you.”
2. Young people, remember, parents, teachers, and
other “authority figures” who care about you.
3. Young or older, we should care about one another.
Gratitude is an expression of, acknowledgement of,
that care, and how we feel about it.
(Colossians 3:15: “. . . let the peace of God rule in
your hearts . . .; and be thankful.”).
4. Thanking those who help us is not only right thing
to do, it’s what God requires. Can even have
unforeseen effects on our lives.
5. (Illust.) A wealthy English family invited friends
to spend a holiday with them. Children were
playing, and swimming, when one child got into
water too deep for him and was struggling to stay
afloat. His cries alerted gardener, who rescued boy.
Grateful parents insisted that gardener let them
reward him in some way. He was reluctant to
accept anything, but they persisted.
“If you must, gardener told them, “I have
a son who wants badly to go to school to study
medicine, but there’s no way I can afford to send
him.” Parents of saved boy agreed to help the
gardener’s son realize his ambition.
Years passed. Boy who had nearly drowned
grew to be a man who led England during critical
years of World War II – Winston Churchill. At one
point, he became seriously ill with pneumonia, and
call went out to one of best doctors of that time, Sir
Alexander Fleming, man who had discovered
penicillin in 1928. He treated Churchill
successfully.
Churchill remarked: “Rarely has one man
owed his life twice to the same family.” You see
Fleming was gardener’s son whom Churchill’s
parents had helped get medical degree.
One can only speculate on how different
history might have been if Churchill’s mother and
father had not shown gratitude to a gardener.
D. We ought to show gratitude to one another, and care about
one another, because God cares about us and everyone.
Leads us to fourth thing to remember: Remember your
worth and value to God.
1. We hear much, read much, about self-esteem;
feeling good about ourselves. While we all need
good self-esteem, many people lack it. In fact, our
society works against it rather than promoting it.
2. If you really want to “be somebody”, really feel
good about yourself, you must be one of four
things.
a. Number one, you must be rich. Money
means power and influence. It’s mark of
real success. But, not something most of us
have abundance of. If I’m not rich, is there
no other way to feel good about myself?
Yes –
b. You must be beautiful or handsome. These
are people who are looked up to and whom
others flock to. Well, that’s “strike two” –
I’m not rich, and I’m not good looking.
Don’t despair.
c. You can feel good about yourself if you’re
intelligent, witty, educated. Well, now I'm
really done for – not rich, not handsome,
not as educated as some others. Who’s going to
respect me? Who’s going to admire me?
d. But, there is one other criterion: if you can
excel athletically, then you can succeed and
make something of yourself – something
you can feel good about and other people
will admire. Oh, well, I’m clumsy and
uncoordinated so I just struck out. I’m just a
loser with no real value.
3. How fortunate it is that wealth, good looks,
intelligence or amount of education, and athletic
skills don’t matter to God when He judges our
worth.
a. I Samuel 16:7: “But the Lord said to
Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance
or at his physical stature, because I have
refused him. For the Lord does not see
as man sees; for man looks at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the
heart.’”
b. God says: “I love you, I value you,
you have worth to Me because of what you are –
even if you’re poor, ugly, dumb, and
clumsy.” Remember that!
III. Conclusion.
A. To God, we’re important. He has a place for us and can
use us – if we allow Him to.
B. Remember these four things: your Creator, the power of
His Word, to show gratitude, and to know we are worth
much to God.
C. Conclude with verses from Jude: 17-23 (READ)
D. All God asks of us is faith and obedience to commands so
simple no one can misunderstand them.